Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). There are two types of HSV; Herpes Simplex 1 (HSV1) and Herpes Simplex 2 (HSV2).
HSV1 or mouth herpes is commonly in the form of cold sores on and around the mouth. HSV2 or genital herpes is a much more intense strain commonly found on the genitals. However both types can be found on the mouth or genital areas. It is possible to be infected by both HSV1 and HSV2. Being infected by one particular strain does not make you immune to another.
Recurrent outbreaks of the Herpes virus generally follow a staged progression. The stages are easily identifiable and include prodrome, vesicles, ulceration, crust and healing. Prodrome is generally a short period of tingling, itching, numbness or burning with no visible sign of an outbreak. Vesicles are the formation of one or more fluid-filled blisters, often in a cluster and usually surrounded by sore, red skin. The ulceration stage is when the blisters open to form painful ulcers or open sores. At the edge of the sore, a soft or hard yellow crust begins to appear. Ulcers and painful, sore, red skin persist through this stage. At the crust stage, weeping sores or ulcers become completely covered by a crust or scab. No ulcers or blisters are present. The healing process is manifested by disappearance of the crust, swelling, pain and itching. Skin eruptions due to viral infection, especially Herpes viruses, generally have a normal infective course that lasts from 10 to 60 days depending on the exact causative species and anatomical location of the infection.
After the initial outbreak, the virus usually lies dormant in the skin or in nerve tissue (latent state) until something triggers another eruption or site infection. When the virus reactivates, it characteristically causes a sore at the site where it first entered the body. Often the trigger is unknown, but in some people overexposure to sunlight, fever, physical or emotional stress, hormonal changes such as pregnancy or menstruation, or certain foods and drugs seem to reactivate the virus.
Genital herpes on the other hand is generally considered to be sexually transmitted. An estimated 40 million people of the world population have genital herpes which makes it a chronic viral infection. About 500,000 people get new symptomatic herpes each year and there are even more people without symptoms. It has been estimated that about 20% of the world population have genital herpes and 90% have oral herpes (cold sores).
To date, there is neither a vaccine to prevent the Herpes infection, nor any way to eliminate the virus from the body. The fact that the herpes virus retreats into the nervous system makes it extremely difficult to eliminate completely.
Previous treatments for herpes virus infections have included the topical application of 5% by weight of acyclovir (Zovirax®), oral administration of valacyclovir HCI (Valtrex®) and laser treatments such as Lectroject®. Each of these treatments is expensive to the patient and the effectiveness is quite slow and often painful. Side effects such as headache and nausea are not uncommon when using repeated applications of acyclovir, whilst the Lectroject® laser method of treating herpes increases the possibility of scar tissue formation.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an effective treatment of skin lesions, and in particular, skin lesions associated with viral infections such as Herpes. Most herpes medications act to “suppress” the virus inside the body in order to reduce outbreaks. In contrast, the present inventors have developed a composition which works by substantially eliminating the virus on direct contact at the outbreak site which accelerates the recovery time of the viral outbreaks and reduces the inconvenience and embarrassment of the condition.